Owner of truck torched his own vehicle in insurance scam, cops allege

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Pennsylvania man is accused of lighting his truck afire on Staten Island as part of an insurance scam.

Prosecutors say David Dowling, 40, of Bethlehem, made several false calls through his 2006 GMC Sierra's Onstar roadside assistance system from Staten Island between Dec. 27 and Dec. 30, each time reporting more damage to his vehicle.

"My car broke down, I'm in the middle of the street," he said in one call, then, "I've been calling for two days, my car is in the middle of the street. Three cars smashed into it, no tow trucks are coming," according to court papers.

The alleged Onstar calls continued: "My vehicle has been hit twice," and "My car has been stuck in the middle of the street for 13 hours. It has been hit by six different cars. It's destroyed."

On Dec. 29, about 10:24 p.m., he called 911, and said, "My car was stolen from in front of my mother's house," court papers allege.

Police found Dowling standing next to his vehicle about 10:53 p.m. at the corner of Front and Thompson streets, matches in hand, court papers allege. The vehicle was on fire, with a canister of flammable liquid in the rear seat.

Dowling filed a stolen-vehicle claim the next day, authorities allege. An investigation by FDNY fire marshals followed, and on Tuesday, Dowling admitted, "My car was never broken down. It was in good condition. There's no body damage."

Dowling was arrested Tuesday and charged with third- and fourth-degree arson, third-degree insurance fraud and third-degree falsely reporting an incident.